Make Proper Preparations for Taking Over Shanghai[1]

(April 27, 1949)

General Front Committee, Su and Zhang, with information to Liu, Zhang, and Li[2]:

(1) You must make arrangements not only for the assault on Hangzhou but also for taking over Shanghai, so that if the enemy troops in Shanghai rapidly withdraw and the people of Shanghai ask you to enter the city, you will not be caught unprepared and rush in impulsively, finding yourselves in a passive position. (2) It is rumored that the U.S. warships stationed at Shanghai withdrew to beyond the mouth of the Yangtze on the afternoon of the 26th to avoid becoming involved in conflicts; whether this is true remains to be confirmed. (3) If the U.S. warships withdraw and Hangzhou comes under threat, there is a strong possibility that the Kuomintang troops in Shanghai will rapidly withdraw. Moreover, the Shanghai bourgeoisie does not favor fighting in Shanghai, so the likelihood of a peaceful settlement in Shanghai is very great. (4) In order to allow some more time for preparations and prevent the Kuomintang from withdrawing from Shanghai too early and our troops from entering Shanghai impulsively, please instruct Su and Zhang to take care not to let our troops get too close to Shanghai. At the same time, strive to complete within the next few days the preparations for entering Shanghai so that if the Kuomintang withdraws from Shanghai rapidly, our troops will not be caught unprepared and rush in impulsively. (5) Report the state of preparations by telegram as you plan them. (6) The date for entering Shanghai must be approved by us.

Military Commission

0600 hours, 27 April

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and addressed to the General Front Committee, as well as Su Yu, Deputy Commander and concurrently Second Deputy Political Commissar of the Third Field Army, and Zhang Zhen, its Chief of Staff.
[2] Liu, Zhang, and Li refer to Liu Bocheng, Zhang Jichun, and Li Da.